" I just came across
these papers I copied 23 July 1985 Bracken Library,
Delaware Room, Muncie, Indiana, Ball State University. They are
from the
collection of Eugene S. Wierback." Doris O. Sink onale@comteck.com
In the southern part of Bedford County, are a number of narrow
valleys
running north from the Potomac River where our brethren preached
in the early years.
A few families by name of Whipp came from West Virginia to about the then
center of Cumberland Valley, fifteen miles north of Cumberland,
Maryland.
They were members of the Church. The Livengoods from West
Virginia visited
them and they had preaching in different homes. The work was
not continued
long, but some of the families never united with any other church.
This Cumberland Valley is often confused with the larger Cumberland
Valley
farther east. It is a pretty little valley, the second one east
of the
Alleghany Mountain, part way the third full of beautiful springs
and streams.
It is thirty miles long, extending from Bedford to Cumberland.
The
stagecoach route to and from these towns passed through this
valley to
Cumberland also the country north, called Buffalo Run and Milligan's
Cove, a
little valley, only nine miles long. This is the location of
the Wills'
Creek congregation. Like all the other older churches, no records
are left
to consult.
Sister Emma Replogle
{nee Miller, daughter of Jacob [Studebaker] Miller,
the school man} is the only
surviving member. For seven
generations on her mother's side, her people had gone in and
out here.
The traditions that have
come to her and have been preserved in her cultured mind, together
with her own personal knowledge
now furnish the most reliable data that we can get.
It is supposed that as an organization Will's Creek antedates
all others in
Bedford County. It seems as if George Adam Martin visited the members
living
here when he lived at Stoney Creek, Somerset County about 1762
to 1770.
Immediately after the Revolutionary War, Catherine Miller
with her three
sons, Elias, Peter and John came here from Maryland or Virginia.
They took
up land in Milligan's Cove and became permanent settlers.
It is thought that Catherine
Miller was the first member of the
church in
the Cove. Her sons built good houses and barns, planted large
orchards and
had large well kept farms. They all united with the Church. Peter
built a
large house and had the upstairs arranged for church and school
purposes.
Long before they had school houses, their private houses were
utilized for
that purpose.
Who did the preaching or
taught their schools is not known. Jacob
Studebaker was the first
minister known to have lived here. He bought
a large farm in 1812, a mile south of Sulphur Springs. He was
a son of Jacob
and Mary [Snider] Studebaker,who had settled in Snake Spring Valley about
1780. Jacob took land and bought other tracts, owning in all,
about seven
hundred acres. He was a brother of the ancestors of the wagon
manufacures
of South Bend, Indiana. Jacob Studebaker was a man of great influence
and did
a great deal of preaching
and served his day and generation well. He reared a
family of thirteen children.
Of the number of members composing this church nothing is known.
From the
number of families and the size of the families, the number must
have been
considerably large. In fact, there were no other church people
there until
about 1820. This congregation never had a church building, but
many of their
dwellings were arranged
for both church and school purposes.
Jacob Studebaker Senior died 1847. This left the congregation
with only one
minister, Andrew Miller. He was a good man, loved and respected by
all who
knew him. His oldest son, Jacob, who frequently assisted him
in ministerial
work, was in 1850, called
to fill that position. This is the Jacob Studebaker Miller
who started the school at Buffalo Mills in 1852, which places
him among the
pioneers of educational work in the Brotherhood. His schoolhouse
was also
used for religious services. Jacob Miller , the son, died
May 11,1853.
This was a hard stroke on
the father and one from which he never fully recovered.
He died December 1855. His
widow died in 1860.
This left the church without a minister. The preaching services
were
supplied by the ministers from Clover Creek, Snake Spring Valley,
Elk Lick,
Milford, Yellow Creek, Berlin, Quemahoning and Shade. This arrangement
did
not long continue and it's interests were cared for by ministers
from New
Enterprise. When the few remaining members died or moved away
all services
were discontinued. It will be seen that this congregation lived
about 100
years and came to an end by death and removal.
Sister Emma A. Replogle, to whom I am indebted for the data of this
sketch, is
the only surviving member. While visiting the scenes of her child
hood and
the many places made sacred to thought and memory and seeing
havoc wrought
by the ruthless hand of time especially in the church so dear
to her heart,
very feelingly she wrote: " I looked all around. Looked
up to the old house
and imagined how it looked as the friends gathered there at the
meetings.
Then I thought: 'Does this end it all?" It does here, but
there are workers
over many of the western states, the fruit of the work here.
I thought of
the work in northern Illinois, of Brother Ellis Studebaker
of Kansas, and
Sister Hannah Studebaker
Eby of Washington State. But, too
many are far away
from the parents or any kind of faith,"
The Will's Creek Church was unique. From the first, it's members
were
interested in the education of their children and all through
it's history
it was far in advance of most of the congregations of it's day.
They went by
the name of Brethrn Church, not Dunkard. To this day people there
use this term.
Note; The Jacob Studebaker Jr.
wo died in 1847 during the GREAT PUMPKIN
FLOOD is believed buried near Bard, Bedford Co., Pa. His widow,
Catherine,
moved to Carroll Co Ill soon after his death, joining all of her
children
except 2 daughters, Hannah who Married Andrew Miller and Anna who married
Jacob Cook, Sr. These two remained in Pa. - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - E.S.W. Aug. 16, 1971
Eugene S. Wierback has many papers of interest in his collection
in the
Bracken Library. Most are dated 1930-1935. A note says the information
on
Catherine Puterbaugh Studebaker had been deposited in the archives of the
Brethern Historical Library, Elgin, Illinois, The Studebaker
filed at SFNA
headquarters and numerous other libraries in Utah, Pennsylvania,
Ohio and the Indiana
Historical Library, Indianapolis,
Indiana........Eugene S. Wierbach - - July 15, 1971
"I hope someone finds this of interest and it may help them
in their search."
Doris O. Sink onale@comteck.com
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you very much Doris!
For further information on
the Studebaker Lineage - - - Studebaker
